Pneumatic dispatch system



Feb. 19, 1935. F. R. TAISEY 1,991,639

' PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM Original Filed March a, 1952 4Shets-Sheet 1 Feb. 19, 1935. F. R. TAISEY PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM Original Filed March 8, 19 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illlllll JP/ 3 P I I HH II l ul l l lllll \llllllll Feb. 19, 1935 F. R. TAISEY PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM Original Filed March 8, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 azzy.

Feb. 19, 1935. F. R. TAISEY PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed March 8, 1932 l l I I I l [III 0 Patented Feb. 19, 1935 PATENT OFFICE rNEU ATIonIsPAroH SYSTEM Fred R. Taisey, Lowell,

:Mass; assignor to The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation 'of Massachusetts Original appucatiba March )8, 1932,. Serial No.

597,487. Dividedand thisapplication December 19, 1933, Serial No; 703,077

8 Claims. (o1. 243-16) This invention relates to improvement in pneumatic dispatch system and more particula'rlyto a system comprising-a main line, and a plurality of branch lines, which lines are oval in cross section; to means on the carrier which cooperate with means in the system at the junction points between the main line and the branch lines, whereby the carriers aredispatched to their .desired destination bythe coaction-of such means; to a terminal by whichthe received carriers are presented to the operator at the station and to the formof carriers employed in such'systems. This application isa division of, mycopending application Serial No. 597,487, filed March 8, 1932, now Patent No. 1,965,933, issued July 10, 1934. The invention herein set forth is a development along thegeneral lines of the inventions disclosed in the copending applications of William J. Tay-' 101', Serial Nos. 597,439 and 597,440, filed- March 8, 1932, and distinguishes therefrom by reason of the conformation of the tube and the coacting 7 means on the carriers and in the system bywhich the course of travel of the carriers is controlled.

Several embodiments'of this invention are described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view inelevation oi one form of terminal which may be employed in a system embodying this invention; i

" Fig. 2 is a top plan view of suchterminal Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of Ia carrier which may be used in a system having terminals of this yp r l h Figs. 4, 5 ande illustrate variations in the structure of thecontrolling meansemployed with carriers of the type shownin Fig. 3 to determine the destinations of the carriers;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figs- 4, 5 and 6, but 40 on a larger scale illustrating-another form of, the control device which might be used; 1

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating an other form of outlet terminal; 9

Fig.9 is a sectional view taken along the line 99 of'Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 isa front elevation with parts broken away of another form of delivery terminal;

Fig. 11' is a plan view of such terminal;

Figs. 12 and Bare sectional views on enlarged scales taken along the lines 1212 and 1313 of Fig. 10; v

Fig. 14 is a front elevation with parts broken away of a terminal station wherein-the outlet terminal is enclosed within a receptacle;' I Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the delivery por- ,thence'to the central station. The flow of carrier tion of the tube shownin Fig- 14, the enclosing receptacle being shownin section; and

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a typical system embodying this invention.

As illustrated inyFig..16, oneform' ofisystem 5 embodying this invention comprises a central station A and a plurality of outsta'tions B; C. and D. These stationsare connected by a transit tube 30 which forms a closed circuit from theleentral station through each of the outstations and transporting air through the system may-be set up in anydesired way, as for example, by means of a suction blower-E, connected by a pipe 31 to the tube 30 at the outlet terminalof .the central station. The tube ,30-is provided at each station with an: inlet terminal 32 and an outlet terminal 33'. The outlet terminals 33 are here shown as connected to the main tube '30 by branch tubes 34 which may of course be of any desired length. It will be understood, of course,- that the showing in this figure is merely diagrammatic and that the forms of terminals at the various stations may be changed as desired withoutin any way'aflecting the operation oi the system embodying this invention.

The purpose of ;this invention, as suggested above, is generally that'carriers introduced into the tube atthe inlet terminal 32 of the central station A'will be deflected from the main tube 30 to the branch tube 34 which leads to'the outlet terminal 330f the selectedoutstation. Various means may be provided for determining the destination of the carriersand several suchmeans have been illustrated in the drawings and-will be described hereinbelow. As mentioned above, the tubes 30 and 34 are oval in cross sectionso that the carriers can not rotate on their longitudinal axes as they travel through the system.

.Fig. 3 illustratesacarrier 80 applicable for use in this system and comprisingrheads 81 eachhaving a notch 82 therein'and, between the body'of the carrier and each of the heads, wings 83, 84 or 85 (see Figs. 4,5 andG). Thesewings are pivotally supported upon pins 86 which connect the-body of the carrier and the felt heads. It will be noted that the wings 83, 84 and 85 differ from each other primarily by reason of their length, the wings'83, Fig. 4, being theshortest and the Wings 85, Fig. 6, the longest. Referring to the system diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 16, a car- V rier having the head shown in Fig. 4 will be'de:

livered to the outstation B', one having the .head

shown in Fig. 5 will be delivered to the outstation l C and one having the head shown in Fig. 6 will be delivered to the outstation D. V

In each head, one wing, here shown as the left one, terminates beyond the pivotal pin 86 in a tongue 87 which overlies a tongue 88 on the other wing. Furthermore, the tongue 87 extends into alignment with the notch 82 in the carrier head, and is held therein by spring means 89. Obviously, the exertion of inward pressure upon the tongue 87 will cause both wings to move simul:

taneously from the full line position illustrated in the drawings to the dotted line position. Advantage is taken of this fact in the operation of a system in which carriers of this type'may be employed.

-A typical outstation of a system employing such carriers is shown in Figs. 1 and2. Hera-as is the usual custom, the main transit tube 30 is interrupted and connected by a terminal casing 90 which may be in sections although not necessarily so constructed. In the opposite walls of the casing are formedicurved recesses 91 which, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, are parallel to the major axis of. the carrier head. Mounted in each recess .91 is a guide plate 92 which extends from the path of travel of carriers through the system to the closure valve 93. 'Pivotally mounted in the casing 90 at the ingress end thereof is a cam 95 supported ona shaft 96 and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 97. Referring to Fig. 2, it will be apparent that the cam'95 is so located that it will pass through the notch 82 of each of the carriers and thereupon engage the tongue 87 of the carrier wings. When a carrier destined for the particular station illustrated in Fig. 1 arrives thereat, the cam 95 acting upon the wings of thatcarrier force them into such a position that they will engage the guide strip 92 and the carrier thereupon is deflected from the mainline and discharged. If, however, the carrier is intended for-another station, the wings will not'engage the guide strip 92, but may contact with the walls of the recesses 91, which by reason of the yielding mounting of thecam 95 causes no difiiculty and the carrier travels on through the terminal casing to its destination. I

In place of the type of wings illustrated in Figs. 4,5 and 6, the carrier may be provided with a type of wing illustrated in Fig. 7, wherein the felt head 100, as before, is provided with a recess 101 at one-end of the major axis. In place of pivoting the wings of 'each type of carrier upon the same pair of pins as previously described, and making the wings of difierent lengths, the wings may be all of the same length and mounted upon difierent pairs of pins. Thus, as shown in Fig. 7, the wings 102 are mounted upon pins 103, whereas the wings 104 and 106, illustrated in dotted lines, are mounted upon the pins 105 and 107. Each wing terminates in a tongue and enters a notch 111 in a sliding plate 112. The plate is guidedin its'movement by pins 113 and is normally held by a spring 114 in the position in which it covers the notch 101. Uponthe arrival of the carrier at any station, it will of course follow that the cam 95, acting through the notch 101, will depress the slide 112 against the urge of the spring 114 and force the wings on the carrier into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 7, so that if the carrier has arrived at its destination the wings 102 will engage the proper guides thereat.

It will be understood that only one pair of wings are mounted upon each carrier, and that the destinations of the carriers are determined by the location of the wings.

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate a typical station similar.

to that shown and described in Figs. 1 and 2 but differing therefrom in the fact that the cam by which the wings are actuated is fixed instead of being pivotally moved. In this type of station the portion of the transit tubeBO which enters c c the terminal casing 115 projects' into the station to a considerable distance andis cut away as .shown in Fig. 8 for reasons to be described later. Secured to the inner wall of this portion of the tube 30 is a stationary cam 116. The cam 116 is fixed to the wall of thetube by means of screws 117, whichalso act to secure a guide strip 118, I

such strip being, as shown in Fig. 9, of the same width as the cam 116 and thereby remaining inv the notches 82 or 101 of the carriers. The station casing 115 is provided with lateral recesses 120; as is the station previously described, but such recesses are narrow and their locations in the various casings are changed. Opposite the cam'116 is provided a recess 121 in the casingfsee Fig. 9). Extending in front of the recessj121 is a yieldable strip 122 which carries guide arms-123', I such arms being integral or not, as desired,with a.

away-portion of the tube to form substantially a the strip l22and movable into and out'of the cutcontinuation of the tube.

Mounted in'the' recesses 120 are guideplatesj prevented, since theltips cannot enter the recesses, In order to avoid any possibility of stoppage-of 1 the system the spring strip 122 is provided which,

with the arms 123,'will yield and allow'the carriers to pass by thecam 116; 'Whena carrier destined for thisstationarrives thereat andthe wings of the carrier are expanded by the stationarycam 116 so that they will engage the guide strip 125, it is possible that after the carrier'head has passed the 'cam 116 the wings will return I to their normal position and become disengaged from the guide strip. In'order to prevent" this action, the strip 118 is-provided which remains in-the groove of the carrier head until the car rier has been discharged from the system;

It has been found that conditions arisej wherein it is not feasible to provide the guidingnotches at both ends of the carrier. This is particularly true when carriers of considerable length'are employed and in order to insure that; the carrier is properly deflected, supplementary meansj'such as is shown in Figs. lo to 13 inclusive, may be employed. While these means. are here shown and will be described as applied to a station unit' of the type illustrated in Fig. 1'; it will also be understood that the same means maybe employed withother types of stations. The station unit comprises a pair of curved lateralrecesses in which are mounted guide plates 131 and a pivotally mounted cam 132 which enters the notch in the carrier head and expandsthewings so that if the carrier is intended for delivery at thisstation the wings will come into engagement with the guide 131 and be deflected thereby. Extending below the cam 132 but of the same width thereof is anarrow strip 135,; the lower end of which rests upon; arrarm 136 mounted upon a pin 137. The pin 137' extends across the station unit and is connected by a link an arm 139, which arm isjconnected by a link The" shaft 141 extends across the station unit, 'a.recess"142 being preferably provided as shown in Fig.:..10.

, Fixed tothe shaft 141and-normallylyingwithin the recess 142'is a bar 143 preferably having its inner face curved. 'Upon' the arrivaliof .a'carrier destined for this station'the cam 132 will cause'flthe wings atthe head of the carrier to engage with the stationary guide 131 and the carrier will start to movetoward the outlet, the spring plate 135 entering the notch and holding the wings in engagement with the guides. As the head of the deflected carrier reaches the end of the strip 135 the latter is forced away from its normal position, thus swinging the finger 136 downwardly and through the mechanism previ-' ously described, causing the arm 143 to swing outwardly into the path of travel so that the rear end of the carrier is caused to follow the desired path and any stoppage of the system by cocking of the carrier in the line is prevented. The end flected. In place of the type of closure previously illustrated are shown a pair of closure plates 145 which function in substantially the same manner, being normally held in the position shown in Fig. 12 and expansible under the impact of the carrier to allow the carrier to be discharged into a receptacle 146.

In Figs. 14 and 15 is illustrated one embodiment of this invention wherein the transit tube makes a U-shaped loop before entering the station casing 151 from which certain carriers are deflected and ejected past the outlet 152, normally closed by the flap 153. The looped portion of the tube is enclosed within a housing 155 into which the outlet 152 discharges the carriers. Supported in the housing is a trough 156 having an outwardly inclined base 157 onto which the carriers fall, andvby which they are caused to roll into a pocket 158 outside the terminal casing 155, from which they can easily be removed by the operator. As shown in these figures, there may be provided at the station a push-through inlet 159- of the type shown, described and claimed in Patent No. 1,938,098 of Clark T. Cu ting issued December 5, 1933. V

While several embodiments of this invention have been shown and described,I am not limited thereto since other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along said tube, and carriers having movable comprising, at each station, guide strips and a cam, said cam acting upon the carrier wings to bring the wings of carriers destined for the station into engagement with the guide strips,

whereby the carriers are deflected.

2. In a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along said tube, and carriers having movable wings thereon, adapted to travel through said tube selectively to the various stations, means for deflecting carriers to their destined stations comprising, at each station, guide strips and. a cam, said cam acting upon the carrier wings to bring the wings of carriers destined for the station into engagement with the guide strips, whereby the .031'11818 are deflected, said cam being yieldable under pressure of carriers destined for other stations;

3. In a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along said tube, and carriers having movable wings thereon, adapted to travel through said tube selectively to the various stations, means for deflecting carriers to their destined stations comprising, at each station, guide strips and a cam, said cam acting upon the carrier wings to bring the wings of carriers destined for the station into engagement with the guide strips, whereby the carriers are deflected, the cam being fixed and thestation wall yieldable under pressureof carriers destined for other stations. 7 v

4. In a pneumaticdispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along said tube, and carriers having movable wings thereon, adapted to travel through said tube selectively to the various stations, means for deflecting carriers to their destined stations com prising, at each station, guide strips anda cam, 7

I prising; at each station, guide strips and a cam,

saidcam acting upon the carrier wings to bring the wings of carriers destined for the station into engagement with the guide strips, whereby the carriers are deflected, a bar pivotally mounted in the tube, a strip below the cam and opposite the bar, and means connecting the strip and the bar, whereby the arrival of a carrier destined to that station causes said bar to swing on its pivot and assist in deflecting the carrier to the station.

6. In a pneumatic dispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along the tube to which carriers are selectively dispatched and guide means associated with said stations for deflecting carriers thereto, a carrier having a head provided with a notch therein,

wings pivoted upon the carrier, and means wherethe edge of the head to engage the guide means associated with a station by means passing through the notch during the travel of the carrier.

7. In apneumatic dispatch system comprising a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along the tubeto which carriers are selectively dispatched and guide means associated with said stations for deflecting carriers thereto, a carrier having a head provided with a notch therein, wings pivoted upon the carrier, each wing having a tongue, the tongue of one resting upon the tongue of the other and extending into alignment with the notch whereby the ends of the wings are projected beyond the edge of the head to engage the guide means associated with a station by means passing through the notch and engaging the tongue in alignment therewith during the travel of the carrier.

8. In a' pneumatic dispatch system comprising being yieldably held in such position thatv one elid i I a main transit tube, a plurality of stations along thereof .is in alignment with thenotchiwhereby t the tube to which carriers are selectively dis- -theiends of the wings are 'projectedibeyond the patched and guide means associated 'with said edge of the head to engage the guide meansasnating in a tongue, a sliding plate having notches carrier. I -w stations for deflecting carriers thereto, a carrier sociatediwith a-stationtby meanspassingrthrou'gh 5 having a head provided with a notch therein, thernotchand-tengaging theend' of the'platetln wings pivoted upon the carrier, each wing termialignment" therewith :1 during the travel of the therein which receive said tongues, said plate I FRED- a. TAISQEY. 

